Paper Fashion Show

March. 14, 2013 text and photos by Kate Bialous

A part of a routine day in Akany Avoko is a fun activity organised for our children by the volunteers. Every afternoon kids wait for the bell to ring to announce an activity time. Usually children draw, color or paint, play different sports or go for a walk in the village.

Volunteers always try hard to engage the kids and involve them in many creative activities, giving them opportunity to discover and develop their talents as well as learn new skills.

Recently we were all guests at the very special fashion show. Designers and models were our primary school kids but the clothes were made of old newspapers. All the outfits were very inventive. Some had African influences and other were more western style.

The show was also a competition. There were 5 teams who worked 90 minutes on their projects. At the end, models presented their costumes as professionals, walking on the catwalk with audience applause and to the accompaniment of a music.

Finally there were 5 winners as it wouldn't be too fair to only choose one!

A Day of Camaraderie Compliments of the EU

Feb. 21, 2013 text and photos by Kate Bialous

Sponsored by
the European Union.

Twice a year we organize a staff leisure day sponsored by the E.U. Grant "Ici et Ailleurs". It gives a chance for our employees to get to know each other outside of work. And as before, the staff from 3 sister centers joined together to play and socialize.

Employees of each center prepared activities for their colleagues. There were fun indoor games and outdoor activities such as football (soccer), basketball and a dodgeball game. For those not interested in sport, there was an opportunity to sing in a karaoke, one of the most popular Malagasy social activities.

Work colleagues who on a daily basis look after children in their centers like Akany Avoko had a chance to have good fun and play as if they were children themselves. As dancing is probably the favorite amusement in Madagascar, we did not forget traditional dances to the tropical rhythms.
The day was full of positive energy and a good spirit in the air.

Different games showed how strong our staff can be when working together as teams. One for all, all for one!

A tired team ready to head home.

The Holiday Season 2012

Jan. 7, 2013 text and photos by Chad Lebo

[Version française ci-dessous]

The holiday season is a special and wonderful time for our children. Some of our children are able to spend time with their families and some of the children stay with us throughout the season. We do our best to show the children the love and attention they so deserve. Because of the generosity and kindness of donors, we are able to make sure each child receives a special Christmas gift. But the love and support does not end there.

We were able to have 4 special events this holiday season. We had a wonderful Christmas feast and gave gifts to the children before some of the children left to spend the holiday with family. The children put on an amazing Christmas show for friends and guests. On Dec. 25th, we had another special Christmas lunch for all the children and Santa Clause even came and delivered some ice cream. And to celebrate the old year and welcome the new year, we had a wonderful dance party and talent show on New Year's eve followed by a special lunch on New Year's Day.

We wish our family of supporters and donors could have joined us for all of these special events, but we are afraid pictures will have to do instead. If you click on the photos and links below, you can go to the full photo albums.

Christmas Feast and Giving Gifts
(click to see all the photos)

Christmas Show
(click to see all the photos)

Christmas Day Lunch
(click to see all the photos)

New Year's Dance and Lunch
(click to see all the photos)

Les périodes de fêtes représentent toujours un moment magique pour nos enfants. Certains d'entre eux ont la possibilité de rentrer chez eux, au sein de leur famille, d'autres restent quant à eux à Akany pendant les fêtes. Nous faisons de notre mieux pour leur apporter de l'amour et l'attention qu'ils méritent. Grace à la générosité et à la gentillesse de nos donateurs, nous nous assurons que chaque enfant reçoive un cadeau de Noël. L'affection et le support que nous leur apportons ne s'arrêtent cependant pas là.

Nous avons également pu organiser 4 événements pendant la période des fêtes. Les enfants ont pu se régaler lors d'un merveilleux festin de Noël, au cours duquel des cadeaux ont été distribués à l'ensemble des enfants avant que certains d'entre eux ne rentrent dans leur famille respective. Les enfants ont également réalisé un superbe spectacle de Noël sous les applaudissements des spectateurs, amis et invités. Le 25 décembre a été célébré autour d'un véritable déjeuner de Noël, le tout couronné par l'apparition du Père Noël et de sa hotte remplie de glaces. Enfin, le passage à la nouvelle année a donné lieu à un réveillon placé sous le signe de la dance, avec au programme, un "talent show" et une superbe boom. Le jour du 1er de l'an a une fois de plus, permis aux enfants de se régaler autour d'un bon déjeuner.

Nous aurions aimé pouvoir partager ces moments avec tous ceux qui nous apportent leur soutien, à défaut, des photos pourront témoigner de ces quelques moments magiques passés à Akany Avoko.

Si vous cliquez sur les liens et les photos ci-dessous, vous pourrez accéder à la totalite des albums.

Professional Education (CAM) Exhibition

Click here or the pictures to see photos in a larger format.

Jan. 4, 2013 text and photos by Chad Lebo

The Professional Education Program (CAM) at Akany Avoko is better than ever. And just before Christmas the dedicated students had a chance to prove it. The students prepared an exhibition to showcase their skills and products. 

The honored guests of staff, teachers and volunteers were treated to amazing food, a fashion show of clothes and hairstyles, a tour of the lush garden and received a 2013 calendar prepared during computer lab lessons. 

All classes are now taught by professional and certified teachers and the curriculum is detailed and comprehensive. Qualified instructors and high expectations are making a real difference. And beginning in 2013, the young women studying in Akany Avoko's Professional Education Program (CAM) will be able to receive government-approved certificates for completed training. This certificates will benefit the young women when seeking jobs and starting their independent lives after Akany Avoko.

Bravo to the students and teachers. 

Contemporary Dance Performance

Click here or the pictures to see photos in a larger format.

Nov. 16, 2012 text and photos by Chad Lebo

Where can you go to see world-class contemporary dancers? Well, this week could have gone to our dining hall. The children were treated to a special performance by the Rary Dance Company. Based in Madagascar, this group tours Europe and mainland Africa, and this week is doing 2 shows at the Goethe Institute in Antananarivo. But they are not alone. Some of our children will be joining the stage  with them at tonights performance.

Outlook Expeditions: Kilgraston

First class face painting.

July 11, 2012 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

School vacation has arrived. That means more kids around Akany. And not just our kids. This is the time of the year we host teenage student groups coming to Madagascar for trekking and volunteering. We will be hosting 7 groups this July and August.

We were proud to welcome the Kilgraston school as our first group of the season. Their Outlook Expeditions adventure brought them to Akany for 5 days. The 15 students and leaders spent a day seeing our village and the market and even learning a little Malagasy. Then they got to work.

They dipped some brushes and rolled some rollers as they painted the doors, windows and walls of the administrative office. In a few short days, the office looking beautiful and they moved on to freshening up the outside walls of the cafe.

Painting windows in the administrative office.

Special Guests and Special Gifts

(From left to right) Mme. Lalasoa, Director of Akany Avoko; M. Eric Mayoraz, Swiss Ambassador; Mme. Mercedes Ansensi Segura, volunteer and supporter; M. Naly, Head of Akany Avoko Childcare; M. Carlos Decarvalho, Akany Avoko volunteer and consultant to the Swiss Embassy.

March 26, 2012 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

Akany Avoko is blessed to have supporters of all kinds from all parts of the world. Though our activities are generally supported by kind gifts from individual generous donors, we are also grateful for the support we receive from organizations. Recently, the Swiss Embassy in Madagascar graciously donated funds to refurbish the dining room and kitchen of the Childcare Center.

To celebrate the donation and herald the opening of the newly-refurbished dining room and kitchen, Akany Avoko held an grand re-opening celebration. The celebration featured dancing, singing, some short speeches, a tour of the improvements and a lovely reception. We were blessed to have many friends, supporters and local dignitaries join us: the regional head of the Ministry of the Population, the Director of the St. Joseph School, the Director of the Regency School, head of our local village, and the Mayor of the Ambohidritrimo Commune. 

And we were all most appreciative for the Swiss Ambassador, M. Eric Mayoraz, who joined us for the celebration. The Swiss government generously supports many projects in Madagascar and we are grateful to be among them.

The refurbishment project was developed by one of our most beloved and passionate supporters, Mme. Mercedes Ansensi Segura. She has organized and found funding for many projects at the Childcare Center over the past years. At the close of the celebration, Mme. Mercedes received a special plaque in honor of her long and dedicated service. 

[Stay tuned. The next blog post will show the new kitchen and dining room.]

Ambassador Mayoraz and the Mayor of Ambohidratrimo cut the ribbon to open the kitchen and dining room.

Mardi Gras or Jeudi Gras?

Paper plates in crafty hands can become anything.

March 20, 2012 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

If you have a Mardi Gras party on Thursday is it Jeudi Gras? Regardless, the wonderful volunteers at Akany Avoko put on a wonderful Carnaval (yes, let's just call it Carnival) party for the children. Not that you need more of a reason to have a party besides Carnaval, but the dancing, singing and donut-eating were also celebrating the work of two fantastic volunteers who were returning home.

Our Volunteer Coordinator, Mme. Caroline, and some festive kids.

Christmas Show 2011 [Video]

Jan. 7, 2012 Video and Text by Chad Lebo

Pictures and words can only go so far. If you want to really see and hear what our 2011 Annual Christmas Show was like, please watch the video. It is a high resolution video, so if you want to choose a larger size it will still be lovely.

Enjoy.

Annual Church Christmas Show 2011

Herod's military receiving orders from the King.

Dec. 31, 2011 Text and Photos by Anjara RAJAONARIVELO 
Edited by Chad Lebo

Every year Akany Avoko performs a Christmas show and each year it is better than the last.

On the night of the 19th of December, Akany Avoko had their Christmas show at the FJKM church in Ambohidratrimo where the children regularly attend. Usually Akany Avoko shares the church Christmas show with another group like a scout troop or sunday school organization, but this year only Akany Avoko was engaged for the opening night that began a week of Christmas shows at the church.

The Akany Avoko kids prepared quite hard for their two hour Christmas show that included: singing, storytelling, choreographed dancing and poems about Christmas. The show went very well and the public clapped for the kids especially for the youngest children when they recited their little poem. The best part of the show was the Nativity play, the story about Jesus' birth.  The Akany Avoko teenagers acted well and wore the fashions of the time of Herod, the king when Jesus was born.

All the children performed beautifully in the show thanks to their practice lead by the staff of Akany Avoko and the choir from the Lutheran church in Ambatovinaky.

Christmas Extravaganza

Any celebration that involves homemade paper hats is bound to be fun.

Dec. 27, 2011 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

What would Christmas be at a children's home without a Christmas show? And not just a show. It was an extravaganza of singing, dancing and acting. This fantastic day took a tremendous amount of work that all in attendance were greatly appreciative of.

But talking about singing and dancing is not terribly effective, so please click below and let the rest of the photos tell the story. And stay tuned for a video compilation of the show later in the week.

Merry Christmas.

Big Campfire but Sadly No Marshmallows

The orange glow of the fire, storytelling, dancing, singing, skits and snacks. The campfire had it all.

 Sept. 7, 2011 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

Chilly nights and some old wood torn out from a current refurbishment of the Halfway House seemed like two good excuses for a big campfire. The children took turns singing, dancing and even performing skits and riddles. Guitars were strum and Malagasy folktales told before the fire burned down and eyes were too weary to stay open.

It was a wonderful treat. One we are sure to do again soon.

The Man has Moves...and a Big Medal

Tribal dance of the Antandroy about resurrecting the dead. Hands down the crowd favorite (especially the dead guy).

July 19, 2011 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

Officially, he is Jean Paul Razafinjatovo. To Akany Avoko, he is simply Dada Be (granddad). To the country of Madagascar, he is a national treasure. The dancer, musician, singer, storyteller and orator has been performing for over 50 years. And for that dedication and devotion to the traditional arts of Madagasacar, Dada Be has been honored by the Ministry of Culture with the Grand Cross of the National Order, the second highest honor a citizen can receive.

To celebrate his achievement, a dance celebration was held by his performance troupe. Akany's children were also in on the celebration and performed several dances. All the photos are from that extraordinary show by an extraordinary artist, Dada Be.

[Do not forget to click below to see all the pics. And please click on the photos to enlarge and see Dada Be in all his graceful glory. He is impressive small, but even more impressive big.]

Re-Painted, Re-Lit and Re-Opened

 

April 28, 2011 Text, Photos and Video by Chad Lebo

After several months of scraping, plastering, sanding, sewing, glazing and wiring, Akany Avoko's refectory has re-opened brighter and better than ever. The refectory is the heart of the center's social life. It is where Akany eats, dances, prays, studies, sings and celebrates. And thanks to quite a generous donation from the Balcombe Trust, this most important room now boasts new lights, new paint, new curtains and many other improvements. All things well worth celebrating.

(As always, do not forget to look below and click on "See and Read More" to get the full article and see many more photos).

The man and the hands that did most of the work. Without Ken, we would still have 6 months of finishing touches ahead of us.

Out and About with the Scouts

Rice? Check. Blankets? Check. Shovels? Check. Let's start hiking!

April 21, 2011 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

"We should eat all of our provisions now so that we have less to carry."
~ Christopher Robbins, Winnie the Pooh

It is a good thing the boys at Akany aren't too familiar with Winnie the Pooh or they surely would have brought up the above quote before heading out for their recent weekend camp out with the scouts. Regardless of having to indeed carry their provisions all the way to camp, they still had a wonderful time. As they do every time they get gussied up in their neckerchiefs and shorts.

Break Out the Red Carpet...or Dirt

A ministerial visit is a good excuse to dress up and dance.

March 14, 2011 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

A few weeks ago, the Minster of Population, Nadine RAMAROSON, came to Akany Avoko for a lovely visit. We swept the dirt, cleaned the floors and washed behind our ears for the official visit. She was greeted in the driveway by a long line of children waving pompoms.

Though the visit was brief, there was time for a few short speeches, some traditional dancing and a tour of the center. As a special treat, the Minister and entourage of body guards and assistants handed out candy, biscuits and soap to all the children. There were a few issues with the smaller children trying to wash down their candy by gnawing on the soap, but all in all it was a very nice visit.

Dancing in the New Year

Looking very cool and wearing pink shoes. That is not easy.

 Jan. 11, 2011 Text and Photos by Chad Lebo

Here in the East Africa timezone, Akany may have reached the new year a few hours earlier than you, but we sure did celebrate the same. The New Year's celebration began at 7:00 pm and the last of the kids and staff collapsed about two hours into 2011. The wonderful night was full of music, eating, dancing, games, more eating and of course karaoke.

Please be sure to click on "Read More" below, so you can see all the action in photos.

Christmas Party Part 3: Music and Dancing

Dec. 24, 2010 Photos, Video and Text by Chad Lebo

When it comes to national Malagasy sports, karaoke is second only to excessive stamping of documents. It is no surprise then that the Akany Avoko Christmas party had plenty of music and dancing. The children performed some lovely and lively dances. But don't take my word for it. Watch for yourself in the video.